A Living Legend and Friends Play BB's
  A local Blues great
Leroy Pierson at '94 St. Louis Bluesfest
On November 20th, 1999, BB's Jazz, Blues and Soups was the place to be! Our own Leroy Pierson opened the show with a fine acoustical set. Blues/reggae historian Leroy Pierson is a legend here in St. Louis, as you surely know. His unique blend of country blues, rockabilly and reggae was a great way to start the show. Fact you may not know, Mississippi Fred McDowell willed Leroy his guitar, a testimony to what Leroy meant to this man. Following Leroy to the stage was none other than David "Honeyboy" Edwards. Honeyboy's been playing non-stop since 1932, and is still playing strong over 60 years later. David "Honeyboy" Edwards is one of the few remaining original practitioners of the, pre-war era, acoustic delta blues. A blues survivor, whose career spans over seven decades. Edwards is one of the few living musicians who played and traveled with Robert Johnson.

  Historical Bluesman  
David "Honeyboy" Edwards at BB's
The events surrounding Johnson's death have been veiled by a mystical cloud of tall-tales, hoodoo, and contradictions. Edwards was with Johnson the night that he died, and his consistent description of Johnson's poisoning by a jealous husband is considered by historians to be the most credible.

At the age of fourteen Edwards set out on the road under the tutelage of guitar wizard Big Joe Williams. During the mid-thirties Edwards worked street corners, river boats, brothels, house parties and delta juke joints with legendary blues artists, such as; Tommy McClennan, Homesick James, Big Walter Horton, Yank Rachell, Charley Patton, Son House, Tommy Johnson, Robert Petway and Robert Johnson.

In the '30s, Honeyboy moved to Memphis, where he came into contact with a full array of blues musicians. He played regularly in Handy Park with; the Memphis Jug Band, Will Shade, Memphis Slim, Roosevelt Sykes and a couple of harp prodigies Big Walter Horton and Little Walter Jacobs. Edwards started his recording career in 1942 when he cut fifteen sides for Alan Lomax (Library of Congress) at Stovall's Plantation. And he's been recording ever since. It was a personal highlight to sit on the rairoad tracks at the 1998 King Biscuit Fest and hear his recollections.
  Outstanding Blues artist
Kelley Hunt wows the crowd at BB's

Following Honeyboy to the stage was the Roots R&B singer/songwriter/piano player Kelley Hunt! Kelley hails from right down the road, growing up in Kansas. Multi-talented as a vocalist, piano player and writer , her combination of passion and soul are always evident when you see her perform. Kelley did some fun audience interaction you'll rarely see a vocalist do, when she stepped down off the stage without her microphone, using just the sheer power of her vocal presence to fill the room with her gospel tinged soulful sound. You know when you've been really moved by an artist when you feel and see a sense of wonder begin to overtake the crowd!

Kelley relies each and every performance almost exclusively on her own exceptional material while showcasing a style that honors a list of influences including the likes of Ruth Brown, Billie Holiday, Ray Charles, Professor Longhair, Ann Peebles, Aretha Franklin, our own Johnnie Johnson and... her mother who she grew up hearing sing around the house and on a weekly radio broadcast in Kansas City. When she played the St. Louis Blues Heritage Festival, at that time the third largest blues festival in the country behind New Orleans and Chicago, not only did she bring a prime-time Sat. evening main stage crowd of more than 15,000 to their feet, she led the talent-laden festival in CD sales and was the artist most requested to return on the festival's fan survey. Perhaps her most important influence, though, was a woman named Mary Burke Norton from whom Kelley took her first piano lessons at age 10 in Emporia, Kansas and learned the burning boogie woogie piano style that has become one of her trademarks. Once more, it was a great night of music at BB's!